Grade 1 Adab Unit 1 The Greeting in Islam

Grade 1 Adab Unit 1 The Greeting in Islam

Table of Contents Lesson 1: What Does Greeting Mean?...3 Lesson 2: How the Islamic Greeting began....4 Activity 1: Read about/listen to How the Greeting Begin....5 Lesson 3: The Islamic Greeting...6 Lesson 3a: What is the Islamic greeting?... 6 Activity 1: Saying As-salaamu Alaykum...6 Lesson 3b: Do I have to greet another Muslim?... 6 Lesson 3c: How to return the greeting.... 8 Lesson 3d: What if I don t return the greeting?... 9 Lesson 3e: Do I have to greet someone I don t even know?... 10 Lesson 4: Greeting First...11 Lesson 4a. Why is it Important to Greet First?... 11 Lesson 4b: Who exactly should greet whom first?... 12 Activity 1: Practice Greeting First... 13 Lesson 5: Greetings Around the World... 14 Activity 5a. Words and Ways of Greeting around the World... 14 Activity 5b. Ways to Greet Around the World... 16 Activity 5c. Geography and Greetings... 17 Conclusion/Extras:... 18 Poem about the Greeting... 18 Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 2 of 18

Lesson 1: What Does Greeting Mean? A greeting is something that you say or do upon meeting someone or passing by them. When we say meet, we mean come together or come near. Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 3 of 18

Lesson 2: How the Islamic Greeting began. Muslims have their own special way of greeting. How do we know how to greet each other? We can learn this by the Quraan or ahadith (or sayings) of Allah s Messenger, Prophet Muhammad Sit back while your Ummy, Abi, or teacher reads to you the story about the beginning of the Islamic, or Muslim, greeting. Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 4 of 18

Activity 1: Read about/listen to How the Greeting Begin. HOW THE SALAAM (GREETING) BEGAN. Narrated Abu Hurairah [radhi-yallâhu 'anhu]: The Prophet [sal-allâhu 'alayhi wa sallam] said, "Allâh created Adam in His Image, sixty cubits (about 30 meters) in height. When He created him, He said (to him), 'Go and greet that group of angels sitting there, and listen what they will say in reply to you, for that will be your greeting and the greeting of your offspring.' Adam (went and) said, 'As-Salaamu 'Alaykum (peace be upon you).' They replied, 'As-Salaamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullah (Peace and Allâh's Mercy be on you).' So they increased 'wa Rahmatullah.' (Sahih Bukhari) Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 5 of 18

Lesson 3: The Islamic Greeting Lesson 3a: What is the Islamic greeting? Do you remember from the story or already know, what the proper Muslim greeting is? The proper way to greet another Muslim is by saying: السلام عليكم Activity 1: Saying As-salaamu Alaykum Practice saying, As-salaamu Alaykum correctly several times. Be sure to speak clearly and slowly so that you say all the syllables or word parts. Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 6 of 18

Lesson 3b: Do I have to greet another Muslim? It is a duty for one Muslim to greet another Muslim when he meets him. A duty is something that we have to do. Abu Hurairah said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'The rights a Muslim has over another Muslim are five." He was asked, "What are they?" He replied, "When he meets him, he should greet him, When he gives him an invitation, he should accept. When he asks him for advice, he should give him good counsel. When he sneezes and praises Allah, he should wish him mercy. When he is ill, he should visit him. When he dies, he should accompany him." (Bukhari, Al Adab Al Mufrad) So, yes, you have to greet another Muslim! At-Tufayl ibn Ubayy ibn Ka'b related that he used to visit 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar and would go with him to the market. He said, "When we went to the market, 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar did not pass by any rubbish collector nor merchant nor poor person nor anyone else without greeting them."(bukhari) Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 7 of 18

Lesson 3c: How to return the greeting. When someone greets you with a greeting, you return the greeting. There are several ways you can return the greeting; wa Alaykum us salaam (and peace be upon you) Wa Alaykum us salaam wa rahmatullahi (and peace and the mercy of Allah be upon you) Wa Alaykum us salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu (and peace and mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you) Although there are other ways to return the greeting from the sunnah, these are the most common ways to return the greeting. 'A'isha reported, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ''A'ish! This is Jibril who sends you greetings.' I said, 'And peace be upon him and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. You see what I do not see." By that she meant the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. (Bukhari) So..which way is better? According to the sunnah, these are all fine, insha Allah. But when you are returning a greeting keep this in mind: Allah tells us in the Quraan (4:86) that which means: When you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it, or (at least) return it equally. Certainly, Allâh is Ever a Careful Account Taker of all things. So, if someone says As-salaamu Alaykum, to return it with that which is better would be to say wa alaykum us salaam wa rahmatullahi or wa Alaykum us salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu and Allah knows best. Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 8 of 18

Salim, the mawla of 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr, said, "When Ibn 'Umar was greeted, he returned it with increase. I came upon him sitting down and said, 'Peace be upon you,' and he said, 'Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.' Then I came another time and said, 'Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah, and he said, 'Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.' Then I came to him another time and said, 'Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings,' and he said, 'Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings and the best of His prayers.'" Lesson 3d: What if I don t return the greeting? Abu Hurayra said, "The most miserly of people is the person who is miserly with the greeting. The one who is cheated of good is the one who does not return it. To be miserly means to be stingy and selfish. But when we are miserly and do not return the greeting, we are not just being stingy; we are missing out on blessings. So remember: RETURN A GREETING GIVEN TO YOU! Peace is one of the Names of Allah which Allah has placed on the earth. Extend it among you. When a man greets people and they answer him, then he has a higher degree than them because he reminds them of peace. If no one answers him, he will be answered by one who is better and more excellent.'" (Bukhari) Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 9 of 18

Lesson 3e: Do I have to greet someone I don t even know? Greeting those you know and those you do not know 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr reported that a man said, "Messenger of Allah, which aspect of Islam is best?" He replied, "Feeding people and greeting those you know and those you do not know." (Bukhari) So, yes, greet those you know as well as those you don t know! Try this! The next time (and anytime) you see a Muslim that you do not know, give them the salaam (greeting). Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 10 of 18

Lesson 4: Greeting First Lesson 4a. Why is it Important to Greet First? Suppose you come upon another Muslim, who should greet who first? Alhamdulillah, we have many instructions in the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) But first of all, why is it important to greet first? Jabir said, "Someone riding should greet someone walking, and someone walking should greet someone sitting down. When there are two people walking, the better of them is the one who gives the greeting first." (Bukhari) Ibn 'Umar said that al-agharr (who was a man from Muzayna and had been a Companion of the Prophet) was owed some measures of dates by a man from the Banu 'Amr ibn 'Awf who came to him many times. He said, "I went to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he sent Abu Bakr as-siddiq with me." He continues, "Everyone we met greeted us. Abu Bakr said, 'Don't you know that when people give the greeting before us, they have the reward? Give the greeting before them and you will have the reward.'"(bukhari) So, the one who greets first gets the reward! Try this! The next time (and anytime) you see a Muslim that you do not know, give them the salaam (greeting). FIRST, insha Allah. Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 11 of 18

Lesson 4b: Who exactly should greet whom first? There are some rules you should know about who greets whom first: 1. The person riding should greet the person on foot (walking) 2. The person on foot (walking) should greet the person who is seated. 3. The smaller group should greet the large group. 4. The young person greets the older person first. 'Abdu'r-Rahman ibn Shibl said that he heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The person riding should greet the person on foot. The person on foot should greet the person who is seated. The smaller group should greet the large. Whoever answers the greeting, that is for him. Whoever does not answer it, has nothing." (Bukhari) Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The young person greets the old person, the person walking greets the person sitting down, and the small group greets the large group."(bukhari) 5. When one of you comes to a gathering, he should give the greeting Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When one of you comes to a gathering, he should give the greeting. If he leaves, he should give the greeting. Neither is more of a duty than the other."(bukhari) But, what if we are both walking? Jabir said, "When two people walking meet, then the one who gives the greeting first is the better of them." (Bukhari) Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 12 of 18

Activity 1: Practice Greeting First With a partner, practice giving the salaam in the appropriate way (first or returning it) in the following situations: You are person 1 the first time through the drills, then switch places with your partner and you are person 2. Person 1: You are walking and come to Person 2 who is sitting Person 1: You are riding and come to Person 2 who is walking Person 1: You are part of a small group that comes to a larger group that includes Person 2. Person 1: You enter a dars of people. Person 1: You come across Person 2, who is an older brother/sister. Now Switch Places. Continue practicing and switching until you got it! Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 13 of 18

Lesson 5: Greetings Around the World Around the world, there are many different non-islamic greetings. In this lesson, we will take a look at some of them, but remember, Muslims greet Muslims with the Islamic greeting of As Salaamu Alaykum. Activity 5a. Words and Ways of Greeting around the World. Polynesian greeting Hongi (nose rubbing) is a traditional greeting among the Maori of New Zealand, as seen here. Rather than kissing on the cheek or shaking hands, they rub noses when they meet people. The rubbing of noses is found in other parts of Polynesia, as well as among the Inuit people of the Arctic. Microsoft Encarta 2006.. The word for hello in Maori is Kia ora, pronounced: Kee-ah Oh-rah French Greeting In France, friends traditionally greet one another with a kiss on both cheeks. Observing such conventions of courtesy is expected by the French, who take great pride in their culture Microsoft Encarta 2006. The greeting in French, the language of France is Bonjour: (Pronounced Bone-Jour) Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 14 of 18

Here are few more words of greeting in other languages: Do you know any of these languages or words? Try saying them. Hello USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand Apa kabar [AH-pah KAH-bar] Indonesia Ciao [chow] Italy Tag, wie geht's? [TAHG, vee-gets] Germany Hola [OH-lah] Spain, Mexico Chao [chow] Vietnam Goede dag [GOO-tuh DAG] Netherlands Goddag [god-dah] Denmark Szervusz [SAIR-voos] Hungary From www.scholastic.com Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 15 of 18

Activity 5b. Ways to Greet Around the World Read about these ways to greet and try them with someone. Country China India Indonesia Japan Korea Malaysia Philippines Sri Lanka Thailand Gesture a nod or bow palms together as though praying and bend or nod, called namaste say selamat, which means peace bow from the waist, palms on thighs, heels together a slight bow and handshake (right hand in one or both hands) both hands touch other person's hands, then are brought back to the breast, called salame gesture a limp handshake place palms together under chin and bow slightly place palms together, elbows down, and bow head slightly, called wai From www.factmonster.com Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 16 of 18

Activity 5c. Geography and Greetings Locate the countries from the last activity on the map and color them. What do you notice about all of them? (Hint: what continent are they all on?) Asia Asia Asia What continent do you live on? Write it below: (ask for help if you need to) How do people greet in your country? What words or gestures* do they make? *Gesture = Motion of hands or body Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 17 of 18

Remember, there are many greetings around the world, but the greeting of the Muslim, no matter what country you are from is: Extras: Abu Hurairah said, "Whoever meets his brother should greet him. If a tree or wall comes between them and then he meets him, he should greet him on the other side." (Bukhari) Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib said, "Part of the full greeting is to shake your brother's hand."(bukhari) Read a poem about the greeting at http://www.islam4kids.com/i4k/i4k.cfm?scn=poems&pm=poems/as-salaamu'alaykum.htm : End of Unit Grade 1/Adab/Unit 1/Greeting Page 18 of 18